CARCASS - Surgical Steel (2013)

This deserves its own thread, no? Was gonna say my most anticipated metal album of the year, but fuck it it's my most anticipated album full stop. Even if it's shit I'm sure it will be so in an interesting way.

Song titles:

The Master Butcher’s Apron
The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills
A Congealed Clot Of Blood
A Wraith In The Apparatus
316l Grade Surgical Steel
Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System
Captive Bolt Pistol
Intensive Battery Brooding
None Compliance To Astm F899-12 Standard
Mount Of Execution
1985/Thrasher’s Abattoir
Unfit For Human Consumption
Zochrot
Livestock Marketplace

song titles in character

Pre covers?

Intensive Battery Brooding

That's the quintessential Carcass song title, right there.

"The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills"

i think i mentioned on the metal thread that this is my favorite collection of words right now

I wish one of the songs was merely titled "Jeff Walker's Teeth"

hope it sounds like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Yvj3SqeLo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dokIQOKxKSc

wow, nice. to me this sounds like a solid sonic follow-up to Heartwork.

which I think is a fine thing - no need to revisit the older sound since they were clearly gravitating away from it towards the end, but gladly away from the Swansong sound.

Will take me a few listens to decide on whether this is just merely 'good' or great.

wow at the ending

Great to hear a bit of Bill Steer on the mic again.

Great overall. It kind of most reminds me of a Symphonies cut, but with the confidence and technique of later Carcass.

typed and retyped stuff here but i'm just really thrilled, so i'll just go w/ that

It's great to have Carcass back in 2013. between getting to see them at MDF and getting a new release, this feels like a belated dream come true.

Non-Compliance to ASTM F899-12 Standard

Well of course they're in non-compliance--this standard has been revised 2 times since then. They need to reference ASTM F899 - 12b Standard Specification for Wrought Stainless Steels for Surgical Instruments

Going to see them next month at BA, hope they'll be able to squeeze one or two new songs in the setlist.

Pity, the new one's been taken down. I'm doubly excited now having heard it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjvHn1IlK5c

crying a little

In a good way?

totally! joy cry

shit is perfectly "progression from heartwork" all of my dreams come true

music to my ears. part of me wondered if they were going to go 'backwards' to their grindier days, which would have been the wrong decision.

instead we're retconning Swansong out of existence yayyyyyyyyyyyy.

Er, I kind of like Swansong. This sounds much better though.

oh i totally dig swansong but yeah that doesn't diminish how great this sounds to me

my issue is not with death 'n roll, which I actually like quite a bit of, but that I didn't think it worked for a band like Carcass.

stoked for this release. considering that by the time I first heard a note of Carcass, they had already disbanded, this is a treat.

the problem with Swansong in my eyes is how out of sync the themes and subject matter are with the complexion and rationale of the band. they were still very much a socially conscious entity, but lyrically speaking everything was watered down to the point of ennui. that said, there are some cracking riffs on there; it's just difficult to appreciate it as part of the Carcass canon.

really, really looking forward to this new one. i'm hearing both the technical ascendancy of Necroticism and the production of Heartwork in the teaser.

sweet bass neck inlays

there are some cracking riffs on there

This is what I like most about it; the opening to Black Star is up there with the all-time great Carcass riffs.

It's funny, the song structures and production on Swansong are very much geared towards a more mainstream audience, then you throw in Walker's alienating to all but the core audience vocals. The whole thing is rendered half-arsed as both a mainstream hard rock album and an extreme metal album.

I for one still really enjoy its grooves though.

i guess they're officially previewing "captive bolt pistol now"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSsrKl6HtAw

hits the spot

I like the shot in the vidoe of Jeff Walker (I think) drinking from a Symphonies of Sickness mug. The track is solid too!

Early reviews are glowing.

yeah, Decibel loved it.

it showed up on Amazon. clicking the Pre-Order button never felt so grand.

Invisible Oranges called it perhaps their best album.

think this is extra special for me because "Heartwork" was the third death metal cd I ever owned (first two were Six Feet Under's "Warpath" and Cannibal Corpse's "Gallery of Suicide"). Saw it sitting there in a CD Warehouse, as an 17 year old just getting into metal, and picked it up on a hunch, fell in love with it.

got into the back catalog as well, but they're really one of the first death/grind acts I ever followed, so it's great to have em around in 2013 since by the time I got into them, they'd already split.

think this is extra special for me because "Heartwork" was the third death metal cd I ever owned

First for me!

Except I had it on cassette, haha

I think a large portion of my early metal listening was dictated by what I could fucking find in CD WArehouse or the now non-existent "Blockbuster Music".

: )

Leaked. Dammit, I have to go to work.

this will make you more efficient

three listens in a row, i have nothing but esteem for this thing

want to write small poems about/to each of the riffs

CAAAARCAAAASSS

All I have to say for now.

Will take me awhile to decide if the songwriting is as good as on Necroticism or Heartwork, but this is definitely proper.

this record is making every other record i thought was a good record this year sound boring

infinite, human, con, flict

The graaaanulaaating daaark sataaaanic......... Mills!

This is my third favourite Carcass album.

i would like to post on this thread more but brad's "crying a little" post is a good stand in for every post i would have made anyway

Except I had it on cassette, haha

― I wish to incorporate disco into my small business (chap), Sunday, 28 July 2013 15:21 (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I still own my Heartwork cassette!

Oh man! Can't wait to hear this

I refuse to listen to the leaks on principal, since the prospect of a new Carcass album is something that I've dreamed of for over a decade and I want to listen to it the way I would have in 1996.

already have the shit on pre-order and if UPS is one minute late dropping that thing off, i'll do sick medical shit to them that was only hinted at on Reek.

^^yes, agreed

prepping 4 frenzied detruncation of mailman

so the new exhumed sounds p. much like the 'grindier' still-melo album some reviewers of the carcass were wishing for.

kinda feel like I've heard so much mediocre imitation grind that hearing Carcass go back to that style in 2013 woulda been....dull.

they went the right route IMO.

Vocals aside, Mount of Execution could totally be by Megadeth.

just changed to "Shipping Now" on Amazon.com. so excite.

yeah yeah I know I could have heard this thing online for weeks now but I'm tryna experience this like it's still 1996

*tears streaming down face*

yep

Gahhhhh now I really wish I could go to one of their one-off shows next week. would love to hear these tunes in a live setting.

i broke down, but i'm excited to go home and crank up my physical copy and pretend like its the first time again

Seeing them this weekend. Looking forward most to hearing the new stuff.

it's a great record, will be trying to see them live in the UK...

Only London gig announced so far is a support slot for Amon Armrest, who I'm not massively keen on, sadly.

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2013/09/interview-jeff-walker-of-carcass/

in which walker claims large QUEENSRYCHE influence on carcass

that's a "Mindcrime" if there ever was one

album is A+

I think my current fav is The Master Butcher's Apron

Mine is A Congealed Clot of Blood. The solo is like emerging from a dark tunnel into an endless desert made of skulls.

otm

the title of that is hilariously conservative for them, i love it

esp using "a".

*A* congealed clot of blood. lol.

one clot is all it takes to bring you low

lol at this old Heartwork review in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY of all places:

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,300741,00.html

I really love Steer's playing all over this disc. He has one of the most slippery sounding vibratos of all time.

it is clear that they are having fun. that makes me happy.

The guys were incredible in Chicago last nite. Tight as hell.

Jeff Walker is a treat. Such a lovable and amiable dude

i was actually perusing Craigslist for a onesie ticket to the show, as well as planefare for a potential impromptu last minute trip. sadly, too difficult and costly.

glad they sounded good - what was the setlist like?

Their show in Calgary on Saturday was spectacular. They schooled post-2000 death metal so badly it made all bands younger than them look like rank amateurs.

Lotsa stuff from the new one, plenty from 'Heartwork', couple from 'Necroticism'

Not really any of the early grindcore; I don't really know if they visited 'Swan Song', because I have to admit I never bought that album. There was certainly some stuff I didn't recognize -- I'm not gonna front like I'm a Carcass expert.

They were fucking great though. Walker announced that they plan on a more extensive US tour with Gorguts next year

oh wow, I'd totally see that. hopefully they hit up O-town next year. when I saw them at Deathfest, they played a lot of Reek/Symphonies/Necroticism in medley form, but I really want to hear the new stuff.

plus, y'know...GORGUTS.

i have reached the point where all the clarities of the songs are starting to come out and it's delightful

yeah, by about the fourth listen that happened for me too. probably will be one of my favs of the last few years.

no i'm on 40 or so, until now i've just been blasting it and thrilling to all the noises

yay, my Surgical Steel shirt came today!

so now I think my favorite may be Thrasher's Abbatoir. .

holy shit Carcass / Gorguts tour next year? was this already known?

any of you insiders know when-ish or where-ish?

yeah that is a supertour if I've ever seen one. absolutely love the new Gorguts (and classic era Gorguts is great too). Obscura is the only one I don't know well, mostly cuz I lost my copy.

i got a say, as supertours go, i am pretty fucking excited for this upcoming High On Fire / Kvelertak / Windhand run

I've had tickets that shows HoF were supposed to play twice. they dropped from the tour both times. I'm nervous now, lol

interesting. they canceled in my little town rather than brave a mountain pass in January. it was ... lame, actually. the roads were fine.

(this was not this past January, btw. in case that reads like it was.)

so the frost hammer is fictional??!

I am in bed and should be going to sleep but I want to keep listening to this. It's really good!

Do you think it's sunk in enough to have a poll yet?

no

is everyone going to try push this album into the big ilm eoy top 10? Uncle Acid made it one year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1IXdvX0deo

: )

YES

yeah it's def. at the top of my EOY list.

ahh they're still opening with Buried Dreams I see. great tune, thought maybe they'd actually jump into Thrasher's Abbatoir though.

1985 into Thrasher's Abbotoir into Buried Dreams would be a good opening salvo.

yeah, maybe they'll incorporate that on their next leg.

perhaps they're still using 1985-Buried Dreams as that's what they'd been using prior to the release of their album (it's what they did at Deathfest, though I was the d00d going "wtf is this intro?").

this album will be in my top ten.

I mean, that riff that Steer played in alternating octaves on "Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System" is my current favorite thing.

even though I'm acquiring new metal albums by the boatload I still force myself to listen to this one daily.

giving this a first listen right now, finally

man

I have just always loved the parts where they slow down and go in, like this ending part of Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System

Yeah their slow breakdowns are the best. Wait till you get to the one on A Congealed Clot of Blood.

it's just an insanely hooky album. I love Steer's sense of melody, and it compliments the heavier riffs just fine.

Walker's vocals are sick on this album too.

yeah fuck this is great. I generally take my death metal more big-n-cosmic but...how could anybody not love this, this is just a blast

like my problem with a load of melodic death is that much of it forgets how to rock out, there are some real pit inducers on this one though. I have heard some folks say this is like a cross of Necroticism and Heartwork, and I gotta say I don't really hear much Necroticism here, but I'm kind of glad of that. I really think they managed to improve on Heartwork, which I love. It's like they took the style of "Death Certificate" and made an album based on that template.

I think the songwriting is a bit stronger on Heartwork - the new one is more fun though.

i probably need to do a side-by-side compare - I can't find my copy but I'll just Spotify it or something. been a while since I've listened.

Heartwork's more or less my favourite ever metal album, so this even coming close is quite an accolade.

Nice
http://soundcloud.com/decibelmagazine/carcass-zochrot-db034

This is the first metal album (of any subgenre) in years that I flat out love front to back, and just wanna listen to all the time.

At first I thought I still preferred Heartwork but with every listen, this one is in serious contention for #1 Carcass album, dudes.

I could see this album appealing to many non-disciples of death metal, such are it's undiluted qualities.

it's just an insanely hooky album.

― Neanderthal, Sunday, September 29, 2013 9:56 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah fuck this is great. I generally take my death metal more big-n-cosmic but...how could anybody not love this, this is just a blast

― combination hair (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Sunday, September 29, 2013 9:57 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

like my problem with a load of melodic death is that much of it forgets how to rock out, there are some real pit inducers on this one though. I have heard some folks say this is like a cross of Necroticism and Heartwork, and I gotta say I don't really hear much Necroticism here

― Neanderthal, Sunday, September 29, 2013 10:00 AM (3 days ago)

everyone otm. shit is CATCHY AS FUCK. surprised to hear some say it takes some getting used to/getting into/whatever, as it seemed super hooky & accessible right out of the gate. holding up real damn well after a couple weeks, too.

can see the necrotism connection in that a lot of this sounds like classic thrash, deathed up just a little (hell, some moments sound like power metal). agree with damo s's p, too: could see a whole hell of a lot of people getting behind this, provided they get a chance to hear it.

My housemate who hasn't listened to metal since he was a teenager was properly rocking out when I put it on the other day.

Carcass have the opening song in this week's computer-compiled Echo Nest Discovery playlist: http://rd.io/x/QUPlBzN-37Q/

is everyone going to try push this album into the big ilm eoy top 10? Uncle Acid made it one year.

― pfunkboy (Algerian Goalkeeper), Saturday, September 28, 2013 11:40 AM (1 month ago)

it's going to happen

my #1 for the year fwiw

i'm going to have to decide between this and kacey musgraves, also thinking of posting a picture of myself making my eoy list to the 'people who have figured out how to live' thread

"what shall be on the list?" mused j.

also i am 60% sure that at some point in the final cut walker says 'beavises' and i am not going to investigate more closely in case that destroys an illusion

Adorable:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2JwjH81gVM

ok they got me with the foot on the double-bass pedal

KEN!!! That's great.

He makes a good Herbert West.

I was going to say, he seems to be pulling a Jeffrey Combs in that.

Okay, that video and song are both great!
I don't know why I haven't purchased the album yet but I am rectifying that immediately.

main riff is so A+

ken...!!!

http://data3.whicdn.com/images/40844645/tumblr_mc4spyw9nH1rh54y9o1_500_large.jpg

d'awwww

So young! Can never get over the fact they were in their very early twenties when they wrote and performed Necroticism.

legitimately got tears in my eyes as that photo loaded

Good Walker interview here: http://www.steelforbrains.com/post/73525363656/carcass

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01qd3mr

walker's vocals on record are a force of nature but it's nice to hear them rougher there, holding it down.

http://rvamag.com/articles/full/21964/its-easy-for-people-to-be-cynical-an-interview-with-jeff-walker-of-carcass

He's from a different generation, as far as the drumming goes, but we never pressured him to change for Carcass, but he did. I don't want to get too bogged down in technicalities, but if you understand the way most modern drummers play the fast stuff, it's with two kick drums, but we're from the old school where it was all on a single kick. It sounds childish but it's really important, it's where we're from.

traditionalists!

I was poking around various metal best-of-'13 lists today and unless I missed it, Surgical Steel did not make Rolling Stone's top 20. I know RS is not exactly the metal bible, but ... I mean, c'mon.

seeing them Tuesday \m/ \m/

Full concert

http://concert.arte.tv/fr/wacken-carcass

Man I hope they do a headlining London show soon.

lol walker's stage banter is so lame

the sound is pretty great tho

The Party Stage! I totally missed that the first time.

Aw I think his banter's quite sweet.

Is this the one where he mentions Motorhead in between every song?

yeah, kinda irked that he has to be there playing instead of watching motorhead; or maybe irked that he has to compete with them, unclear

<3

EP with five off-cuts coming out soon (they've all been up on YT for yonks, obviously). Walker does actual singing on one of them.

Any thoughts on the ep? I can see why they left all the tracks off the album, though there are a heap of great moments. The riff that comes in at 3.25 on Intensive Battery Brooding is nuts.

I'm glad they're toying with experiments like Livestock Marketplace, but I really don't think it works.

It's all album leftovers, and although it's decent, it pales in comparison to Surgical Steel, which is looking more and more like a classic album with each passing month.

Seconding that.

thirding. incidentally, great running record!

last week on 'elementary' sherlock listened to carcass to solve a case!

also GOATWHORE

and artificial brain just for pleasure

last week on 'elementary' sherlock listened to carcass to solve a case!

Sounds quite healthy, that!

Quite stimulating in their own way.

agreed with the EP being slight but I still dig it, but def not essential like Surgical.

is it selfish that I already crave another full-length

like not that I'm burnt out on Surgical but like more Carcass is usually not a bad thing. i've done the maths.

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bill-steer-says-next-carcass-album-should-arrive-by-end-of-2017/

Really no idea which direction they're going to progress in after SS.

Torn Arteries is coming out at last this Sept

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIH9FkzGXeQ

01 Torn Arteries
02 Dance Of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1)
03 Eleanor Rigor Mortis
04 Under The Scalpel Blade
05 The Devil Rides Out
06 Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment Limited
07 Kelly’s Meat Emporium
08 In God We Trust
09 Wake Up And Smell The Carcass / Caveat Emptor
10 The Scythe’s Remorseless Swing

kelly’s meat emporium

Walker has fully reached the dad pun phase of his song naming career.

as a vegetarian i appreciate the cover

Was gonna say, love the artwork (even as a committed omnivore).

"eleanor rigor mortis" is, if nothing else, a great halloween theme costume concept

anyway both new songs are very fun, presumably some meatier cuts to come

Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door

Whatever for?

There's a "visualizer" for the new song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdcfhccjk78

I'm assuming the super tidy production style they've favored for the last little while is a turnoff for some people who desire EDGE but in the context of current metal I find it refreshing

ppl will always find a way to complain about carcass, meanwhile they continue to rock

folks. it is almost time.

before we go there, can i just say i cannot believe it's been 8 years since Surgical Steel. feels like half that at most.

my life is flying by. :(

seriously. like it's half the length of time of their previous hiatus!

IT'S TORN ARTERIES time.

here's my track by track review.

Torn Arteries - HOLY FUCK there's a lot going on here! delightfully this is a lot more nutbar on the fretbar than anything on last year's underwhelming EP. there are some tasty harmonized leads.

a nice little 90s alt rock Foo Fighters riff shows up shortly

Dance of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1) - another snarling melodic riff. this feels like a cousin to "Congealed Clot of Blood" from previous album.

much more restrained than previous track. but earwormy as hell

Eleanor Rigor Mortis - awwww yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis. delightfully thrashy opening riff slows way the fuck down into a churning slow assed, heavy riff. great layered vocals between Bill/Jeff.

lovely harmonized guitar riff with that delightful Steer tone. middle section is mega-catchy but not in the cheesy way some melo-death groups do. and every lead is delicious.

OOOOOOOOOOOH now a new riff just showed up and I like it a lot!!!

fuuuuuuuck 3 songs in and I'm already so excited.

Under the Scalpel Blade - heard this one when it dropped in 2019. still love it.

again, just a cornucopia of ideas. too many good moments to pick from. middle section feels so arena rocky, I love it.

this is like a candy bar of a song except I'm not throwing up.

The Devil Rides Out - mid-tempo crunchwrap, hooking its talons into a nice groove. Walker/Steer's vocals are unsettling af here, but the song is very pleasant albeit it gets very moody, like visiting an elderly grandma's house and hearing someone duct-taped and screaming in the other room and hoping against hope that you imagined it, and gradually finding out that no, grandma has a prisoner after all.

what I love is they have definitely not regurgitated Surgical Steel. it's similar, obviously, but this is a more patient album, it plays with space more, and it is not as obsessed with speed as its predecessor.

there are also more ideas to each song, this is definitely a "room with many doors" song as someone on ILX once put it (via a thread).

holy fuck the ending riff is amazing, I needed 30 more seconds of it.

Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment - beautiful classical guitar gives way to chugging.

this song has a traditional heavy metal underbelly, like it's as if Angel Witch crashed the party and also spiked the punch with some of its own ingredients.

Steer just seems to be having fun from a guitar standpoint. and man do his vocals sound gross af here.

ok, moshy breakdown riff in the middle. hi. how are you?

I swear to god, there are way more elements per song than on SS, like a party where the guests never stop streaming in but they're all delightful so you don't care.

ok we're back to the Angel Witch-cum-death riff. yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy

i'm not drunk i'm just so happy for this album

fuck the song is still going

mid-song calm riff coulda been on a fucking Christopher Cross album and then they went back to the face melting

9:42 - longest Carcass song ever?

Kelly's Meat Emporium - I know this was released months ago but I deliberately didn't listen to keep it a surprise.

more of a bite-sized immediate track, love the main riff and the thunderous drums underneath it. less surprises lurking around the corner, a little more "first three tracks of Surgical Steel" energy.

In God We Trust - opening riff is practically doom metal. then it goes to fist pump tempo pretty instantaneously.

this almost feels Sabbathy at times, but faintly.

a beautiful clean arpeggiated riff featuring another beautiful melodic solo from Steer, lord he's just giving it all on this album.

ok there are hand claps on the song, i am dead. like i'm talking "That Thing You Do" handclaps.

Wake Up and Smell the Carcass/Caveat Emptor - this starts out like a fuckin' Sword song.

sinister riff takes over with octavized lead guitar over it, then we're back to the Sword.

for some reason Jeff Walker is enunciating a lot more on this track.

wow this got hyper melodic real fast, and then goes from an arena-rock riff to a mosh pit crunch-riff instantaneously.

I am describing this album terribly. it is fantastic.

ok now i can't tell if this is gonna slow down extremely or get mega fast.

oh fuck it did the former and it's heavy af. yes.

The Scythe's Remorseless Swing - 70s hard rock riff begins this one, could appear on Jesus Christ Superstar.

Jeff Walker is doing a pirate voice, perhaps unintentionally.

ok i give up, i have run out of ways to describe what I'm hearing, I just really like this song.

I didn't dislike a song on the entire album.

i can't wait to relisten to this shit.

my rating, out of 10, is 300.

I'm about to listen. The consensus of the early write-ups seems to be 'good not great', but Neanderthal has given me hope...

ok there are hand claps on the song, i am dead.

There was one review I skimmed bemoaning the handclaps, but I am down with handclaps in metal.

i love “eleanor rigor mortis” title on down

The Devil Rides Out

Not a cover of the Whitchery song I take it?

So it's good! Not quite delivering the "fuck yeah" endorphin rush that Surgical Steel delivered on first listen, it's a murkier, more convoluted affair (sometimes to a fault, "Flesh Ripping..." could easily be a few minutes shorter). The quality of the riffs can't be denied though. It will take a few more more listens to assess the songcraft.

part of Surgical Steel's initial endorphin rush for me was the fact that we had one of my top 5 favorite bands back after a 17 year hiatus. I feel like had they gave me this album instead of SS, I might have had a similar reaction, though I do think SS is a more 'immediate' album. the songs use similar songwriting philosophies as Heartwork does.

this one definitely seems more ponderous and goes more angular directions, but never without being hooky af. can't wait for my third listen. it's on deck!

there's a boxed set version of this album that comes with the vinyl, a cd version, and....get this....a dinner set, including a plate with the cover of the album on it. and a 24-page booklet.

tempted. I want to eat off a Carcass plate.

I'm willing to bet that almost none of these plates will ever be used as actual dinnerware, unfortunately.

I would totally eat bagel bites off it

hammer smashed

Middle aged metal bands are really only an inch away from the Elvis porcelain figurine stage of their careers.

I would totally eat bagel bites off it

― you had me at "giallo" (Neanderthal)

Or microwaved uterogestation...

Iron Maiden will be pissed off they hadn't thought of it

This is not a good album.

It is a great one.

Otm. I am enamoured with it after five listens

less immediate than surgical steel but after a few days with it: probably better

kinda feel that way too. I'm also not burning out on this one. Surgical I played to the point of ridiculousness for a few months and I still can jam it and love it (in fact, it's going on next), but for a little while I was wiped out on it.

I think I'll be playing both back to back for a while. I love this band. and when I first saw them in 2013 I had no idea we'd get two new studio albums from them.